Annie Jacobsen is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and the New York Times bestselling author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, Area 51, Operation Paperclip, The Pentagon’s Brain, Phenomena, Surprise, Kill, Vanish, and First Platoon. Her work has been translated into a dozen languages.
She has appeared on countless TV programs and media platforms—from PBS Newshour to Joe Rogan—discussing war, weapons, government secrecy, and national security.
She also writes and produces TV including Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (Amazon) and Clarice (CBS).
Surprise, Kill, Vanish was reported by Apple to be one of the most popular nonfiction audiobooks of 2019.
The Pentagon’s Brain was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in history; one of the Washington Post’s Best Nonfiction Books of 2015; one of The Boston Globe’s Best Books of 2015; and one of Amazon’s Top 100 Books of 2015. Operation Paperclip was chosen as one of the best non-fiction books of 2014 by The Boston Globe, Apple iBooks, and Publishers Weekly. Area 51 won the Goodreads Choice Award, Best History, and Biography.
Jacobsen graduated from Princeton University where she served as Captain of the Women’s Varsity Ice Hockey Team. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Kevin and their two sons.